A Basic Andro Style Guide, From The Top Down

Androgynous style is often misinterpreted as simply wearing clothing often associated by the opposite sex. To an extent, it works, but to have a truly androgynous fashion sense you'll cater to both sexes at once. A way to determine if a piece of clothing you're about to buy is androgynous in style is to ask yourself these two questions:

1. Is the piece of clothing commonly worn by both men and women? The answer should be "yes".

2. Does the piece of clothing make you look particularly masculine or feminine? The answer should be "no".

Tops: 
Androgynous tops will generally be non-formfitting so that it doesn't define your gender. Specifically aiming to keep the chest area undefined. 
        -Loosely fit, flouncy tops and t-shirts
        -Large sweaters
        -Button downs, flannel
        -Cardigans
        -Hoodies
        -Collared shirts
        -Blazers
        -Loose tank tops
        
Bottoms:
        -Androgynous pants are commonly straight-legged, but lately flare is coming back in style
        -You don't want your pants to be too baggy because that seems very masculine
        -Harem pants, or drop-crotch pants
        -Skinny jeans
        -No skirts

Footwear:
        -Boots are a very commonly worn in androgynous fashion, boots with heels are fine for both sexes
        -Converse are common
        -No 'girly' heels
        -Sandals are fine 

Accessories:
        -Scarves
        -Backpacks, messenger bags, no purses
        -Unisex hats, like a beanie
        -Headbands
        -Any kind of jewelry is fine as long as you address the two questions above

Specifications:
        -Neutral and earthy colors (browns and tans)
        -Achromatic shades (black, white, grey)
        -Commonly unisex colors like red, blue, and green (mostly darker shades)
        -Neutral patterns, or no patterns at all

These rules are not set in stone, all fashion can be modified to fit your personal gender, fashion and gender are constantly changing, this is just one opinion by observation.

Andrej Pejic: 2 Models for the Price of 1

At first glance, most people would say that model Andrej Pejic appears to be a woman. However, given a closer look, you'll find that is not the case. Andrej, 20, is originally from Bosnia, had to escape to a refugee camp in Belgrade during the Bosnian War, eventually settling in Australia.

He was discovered as model material between the ages of 16 and 17, and is now one of the most sought after androgynous models in the industry. He has modeled for many major names like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and John Galliano. 

The fact that his gender is apparently ambiguous is what intrigues the designers the most -- and the fact that he can model as male or female is obviously a huge plus for whoever is paying for him. 

In an interview with OUT Magazine, Andrej answers questions about being a male interested in feminine things.

OM: If you had something to say to the boys who go to out.com who might live in a smaller town in America and play with the idea of femininity and masculinity, [what would you say]?

ANDREJ: It's okay, you know, it's ok to do it and be different, and to explore this side of you. It's nothing that you should suppress.

OM: How do you deal with bullies or people who mention something about you and your clothes?

ANDREJ: You need to get to a point where, you know, if it makes you happy then at the end of the day no one can take away from that. You have to understand that a lot of people are not so educated in these matters and can be ignorant. so I guess the hatred, or whatever it is, comes from that.

Designer Marc Jacobs talks about Andrej: "There is just a feeling like 'this boy is so beautiful' and, you know, i think we live in a modern world and I hate labels. I hate when people say something is masculine or feminine, or pretty or ugly, because to me everything is interesting if you're interested in it."


Whether or not you can tell he is a man or a woman (and truly, that shouldn't matter anyway), what we all can agree on, without question, is that he is truly beautiful, and his beauty goes beyond labeling a gender. Based on many sources, he seems pretty intelligent as well, so we look forward to this AndrejAndro bringing some of his knowledge even beyond the high-fashion world to open up some minds to see beauty in all its different forms.

check out more beautiful images of Andrej >> here <<

I, Androgyne...

Androgynous male model Andrej Pejic (left) with female model Jana K. (right).

What does it mean to call oneself Androgynous?

Dictionary.com simply states:

-neither clearly masculine nor clearly feminine in appearance

Of course it's more complex than that, otherwise this blog would only have a singular post and there would be nothing more to say.

Let's break it down. The prefix "andro-" means male, or man, as in 'androsterone', a hormone produced in the male testes. And the suffix "-gyne" refers to the female reproductive organs, as in 'gynecology'. 

I'm sure this brings up many more questions.

Isn't that just a different way of saying you're a hermaphrodite?

Does it simply describe a person's sexuality?

Is it a counter-culture?

Can someone naturally just be androgynous?

Do you choose to be androgynous?

Is it simply a fashion statement?

I'd like to answer some or all of those questions from my own perspective with a few facts and testimonials to back me up throughout the development of this blog, and I will no doubt share that with you. However, in my opinion, in regards to the androgynous evolution, it's more undefined now than ever. Nothing is ever certain. If you believe that it is, ask yourself that in another 5 years. The grey area is slowly becoming dominant in our culture. And that's what makes androgyny what it is.

This unisex appearance (and more), and its effect on our society challenges the idea that we need to label ourselves in any way, whether it's our gender or anything else.

...to be continued.